Dubai’s Roads and Transport Authority opened a four-lane bridge on the southern side of the Al Qudra Road and Sheikh Zayed bin Hamdan Al Nahyan Street intersection on Sunday, 9 August 2026, advancing a major upgrade of one of the emirate’s key east-west corridors.
The new bridge extends 700 metres and is designed to handle 6,000 vehicles per hour, carrying traffic along Al Qudra Road towards Al Qudra City.
Its opening completes the main carriageway configuration at the intersection, following the launch of an opposing bridge in February that serves traffic travelling from Al Qudra City towards Umm Suqeim.
When the full project is complete, the intersection’s overall capacity will increase from 7,800 to 19,400 vehicles per hour. Waiting times are projected to fall 85%, from close to seven minutes to one minute.
In Q4 2026, the RTA will open two further side ramp bridges at the same intersection: a 500-metre ramp serving traffic from Al Qudra Road towards Jebel Ali, and a 900-metre ramp directing traffic towards Downtown Dubai and Dubai International Airport. Service roads on both sides of Sheikh Zayed bin Hamdan Al Nahyan Street, stretching three kilometres, are also included in the works to connect surrounding development projects.
“Al Qudra Road Development Project is being implemented in line with the directives of the wise leadership to continue advancing the infrastructure of the road network, keeping pace with Dubai’s rapid urban and population growth, improving mobility efficiency, supporting quality of life, and reinforcing Dubai’s standing as a leading city in providing world-class infrastructure. The project forms part of RTA’s integrated plan to develop the emirate’s key corridors and strengthen connectivity across the road network. This will help accommodate growing traffic demand and keep pace with the expansion of current and future residential and development areas,” Mattar Al Tayer, Director General, Chairman of the Board of Executive Directors, Roads and Transport Authority said in a statement.
“The project involves upgrading several intersections and constructing bridges with a combined length of 4,000 metres, alongside the expansion and development of an 11.6-kilometre stretch of Al Qudra Road. The works will increase the road’s capacity and reduce journey time by 70%, from 9.4 minutes to 2.8 minutes. The project serves residential and development areas with more than 400,000 residents and visitors,” Al Tayer added.
The project runs from the intersection with Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Road to Emirates Road and serves communities including Arabian Ranches 1 and 2, Dubai Motor City, Dubai Studio City, Akoya, Mudon, DAMAC Hills and The Sustainable City, collectively home to more than 400,000 residents and visitors.
Earlier milestones under the same project include a 1,200-metre bridge at the intersection with the Arabian Ranches–Dubai Studio City link road, which increased capacity at that junction from 6,600 to 19,200 vehicles per hour and cut waiting times by 55%. Improvements to the Emirates Road and Al Qudra Road intersection opened last May, with additional works at that junction scheduled to open this month.
Al Tayer framed the project as part of RTA’s response to Dubai’s urban expansion and said it aligns with the objectives of the Dubai 2040 Urban Master Plan.
